The Wizard of Oz

SPOILER ALERT: It’s all a dream in the end. Or was it? Anyway, there’d be no point in recounting the plot of The Wizard of Oz, not just one of the most famous dream movies but one of the most famous movies of all time – literally everyone has seen it. And as dream movies go, the plot if pretty linear – Dorothy lands in Munchkinland, and has to achieve a series of tasks before she can get out. Still, having a dream in which you see a brand new set of colors as Dorothy does would have to be pretty startling.

8 1/2

Here’s a dream movie about a movie being made by a guy who is often dreaming in the movie about his movie. Or is he? Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 is a dream movie about the dream we all share – that dream called “cinema.” And a pretentious sentence like that is as good a way as any to end the entry on 8 1/2.

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

This surrealist comedy from the master of the surrealist comedy, Luis Bunuel, uses the form of the dream movie to take satirical shots at the upper class. You know, people who go to dinner parties only to never actually get to eat, deal cocaine, murder each other, etc. It also features multiple sequences in which bizarre stuff happens, only to have a character wake up from a dream, which makes this a pure dream movie from start to finish.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

This isn’t so much a “dream movie” as it is a “nightmare movie.” The nightmare in question is one Freddy Krueger, a violently deceased child killer who haunts the dreams of the children of those who killed him. “What’s the big deal?” You might be asking. Well, if he kills you in the dream, you die in real life! Pretty cool, right?

Inception

When you saw the title of this article, there’s an 87 percent chance that the first dream movie you thought of was Christopher Nolan‘s Inception. Inception proved that dream movies can still be financially successful, provided there are plenty of gravity-defying fight scenes and kickass shootouts. In case you were dreaming when the movie came out, it’s about a band of criminals wh break into the subconscious mind and implant ideas into the person’s dreams, in a process known as “inception.” The end result is a lot of, well, gravity-defying fight scenes and kickass shootouts. And unlike The Wizard of Oz, no one knows if it was all a dream or not.

Dream movies will be a popular genre for as long as people are fascinated by dreams. So, forever. The above dream movies are simply five of the most popular – there are many more at your local video store, library, or Netflix account, so get going, won’t you? These dream movies aren’t going to watch themselves, and you have a pop quiz that you didn’t study for in five minutes!

This will also serve as a mini-Date Night reunion as James Franco has been attached to the lead role (which is a mandatory of film-making nowadays). Casting is still underway for Glinda, the Good Witch of the East and Kunis’s older sis Evanorah (the one that Dorothy parks a house on). I’m excited to see who will fill those parts, and even more excited for their eventual spread in Maxim. Nobody told me these witches were gonna be hot! (Vulture)

The space-time continuum is safe for now. Robert Zemeckis has wisely passed on the opportunity to remake the beloved classic The Wizard Of Oz. I’m really excited by the prospect of another live-action film by Zemeckis, but I feel that Oz was not the right project for him (or anyone) to do. Apparently he felt the same way. Either that or a vicious gang of Judy Garland lovers threatened his well-being. Those guys can be pretty dangerous if you get them in a large enough group. Like zombies. Or Critters. (The Wrap)

Don’t get oil all over your ruby slippers, Dorothy. 

It’s official: Sam Raimi is on board to direct Disney’s Wizard of Oz prequel. Robert Downey Jr. has also been confirmed, and will play the titular Wizard. The film will explore the character’s rise from a circus wrangler in Kansas to a great and powerful sorcerer in the land of Oz.

Based on the success of Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, Disney has high hopes for the prequel. Like Alice, Oz is a new spin on a classic children’s tale and will be shot in 3D. But unlike Alice, Oz will not be eerily similar to every other film Tim Burton has ever made. (Deadline)

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Sam Mendes and Adam Shankman may lay down their gladii and exit the battle arena, Disney has offered Oz, the Great and Powerful to director Sam Raimi. There’s no word yet whether Raimi will take the gig, and a few details may need to be worked out before he comes on-board.

Robert Downey Jr. was once attached to this project to play the titular Oz, a Kansas carnie who carves a niche for himself in the magical land, but his name hasn’t come up in recent reports. Another potential issue is Mitchell Kapner’s script. Though it’s probably due for revision, early reviews say it is pretty dumb (although it involves flying monkeys). And finally, and this will certainly be a sticking point for Raimi, where does Bruce Campbell fit into this? Can he be a snarky palace guard or can he appear Dorf-style as a rebellious Munchkin with a take-charge attitude? You know, the type that other Munchkins want to be and women want to change. These are the types of questions you need to ask studios before you sign sh*t. (Vulture)

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The glittered gloves are off and the jazz hands are flyin’! "You Think You Can Dance" judge and Hairspray director Adam Shankman wants the job of making Oz, the Great and Powerful faaaaaaaaaabulous. Sam Mendes is currently circling the project, but Shankman brought his slap and tickle fight to Twitter. He’s retweeting the tweets of his fans, who I have just dubbed "Shankmaniacs!" (exclamation point necessary), and building up a strong front. Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden is one impressionable tweeter on Team Shankman. That guy loves Chicken Nuggets, so Shankman probably has the gig on lock.

(Vulture)